While we were in Jerusalem, we went by bus to Biblical Resources Institute, an American-sponsored entity which researches ways that things were done in Biblical times, and provides a means of sharing with others what they have learned. The institute also has a division in the United States, at Bellaire, Texas. The institute has set up, in an outside garden, demonstrations of such activities as threshing grain and pressing grapes and olives. There are displays of altars, graves, water-storage cisterns and goathair tents.
There is a striking display of three types of crosses known to have been used by the Romans, who were the inventors and principal users of crucifixion as a means of execution. It was explained to us that wood was, and still is, a very scarce item in Israel. Therefore, crosses would not have been made of new, well-squared off lumber such as we commonly see in illustrations. The same crosses, or at least the same uprights, would have been used over and over, for the Romans crucified dozens or hundreds of people in the Jerusalem area. In Matthew 27:32, where it tells of Simon of Cyrene being compelled to carry Christ's cross, these experts contend that what was carried was only the crosspiece from the cross. The upright would have waiting at Golgotha, they say. Of course, their theories are only those of mortals and could be wrong.
In regard to the scarcity of wood in Israel, our guide told us the country has embarked on a major tree-planting effort over the past 25 years, and that most of the trees we could see on the hillsides were a result of that effort. Historically, brush or wood has been the common fuel for cooking and heating purposes, he said. He also remarked that wars are especially hard on forests, because the armies have little time to worry about saving trees.
I wondered, but didn't ask, about the supply of olive wood for souvenirs. Everywhere one goes, there are shops totally crammed with "olive wood" items, ranging from necklaces to large nativity scenes. And yet, the olive tree is apparently a very slow-growing tree. None of the olive trees on the Mount of Olives appear to be more than 20 feet tall, and yet we were told that most of them were very old, a few even dating to the time of Christ. As the trees age, the gnarled, dead-looking trunks get thicker and thicker, but even the oldest were only three or four feet across. So where does all this olive wood come from?
The building material that is in very good supply in Israel is rock. Rock abounds all over Israel, although some of the agricultural valleys have a good layer of dirt over the rock. The hillsides all have outcropplugs of rock, so that it is impossible to tell at a glance whether there are traces of manmade structures there, or if you are just seeing the natural rock where the soil has washed away.
At the time we were in Israel, in March, the area to the west and north of Jerusalem, clear up to the northern borders, was green and beautiful from the effects of the winter rains. But, to the east and southeast of Jerusalem, almost from the city limits, there is nothing but barren hills of sand and rocks.
This is the area commonly referred to as the Judean desert, and it certainly lives up to its name. Some Bedouin families live out in the desert with their flocks of sheep, goats and possibly, camels. There are some roads branching off the highways, and some of the Bedouins seem to have pickups. At one settlement, I saw a water tank on a trailer, looking much like the water-hauling tank of a Kansas farmer.
But the Bedouins I saw still live in the goatskin tents they have used since before the time of Abraham. Apparently, the tents are the most practical living quarters for their lifestyle. When new, the tents seem reasonably attractive, but older ones often seem ragged, multi-hued and tattered. However, I'm sure the owners don't care how their homes look to passing tourists.
Day 7 Return to Israel start page Day 9
